Directing Dominatrix, Monika Treut's "Didn't Do It For Love"

As difficult as it is to find a documentary on the big screen (unlessit’s about Woody Allen or Mohammed Ali), it’s just as impossible to finda contemporary German film. All the more reason to take note of MonikaTreut’s, “Didn’t Do It For Love,” a new German documentary. About theextraordinary Eva Norvind, a Norwegian-born, Mexican film starlet, NewYork Dominatrix and Mother Theresa volunteer, Treut’s sexy biopicfollows Norvind through a 90-minute, self-guided tour of herself.

Norvind’s story offers enough transgressive images to fill severalfilms, but under Treut’s watchful eye, the film stays focused on Norvindas an example of fractured identity at the end of the millennium.“Didn’t Do It For Love” is being released by First Run Features.

indieWIRE: Your reviews came out this weekend. Do you care about themanymore?

Monika Treut: Not really. Although we had a wonderful review in Varietyof all places. That is really cool. The guy who reviewed it reallyunderstood the film. He said I was smart and that Eva Norvind isn’t foreveryone but the film introduces her to you and then lets you make upyour own mind. It was very fair. Everyone else, like the New York Timesreview tells the story of the film and then says, “Oh well. There are noanswers.” What the fuck, think for yourself.

iW: “Didn’t Do It For Love” includes footage from all over the world.How long did it take to shoot?”

Treut: We couldn’t shoot in one piece, because Eva is doing stuff allover. So we shot over a period of one year. We shot a week in Mexico, aweek in Norway and a week in New York.

iW: What was your relationship with her during the making of the film.

Treut: I was her Dominatrix. I had to be. I didn’t realize how difficultit is to direct a Dominatrix. It’s impossible. You have to top theDominatrix. It’s something I don’t enjoy that much anymore. I am more amellow person, but it was inevitable. I had to say, “Eva. Shut up. SitDown. Do This.” My god, but it was worth it. We had a lot of argumentsbut we also laughed a lot. She has a good sense of humor. I liked thatabout her. She’s slowly coming into her own. Now that she’s agrandmother, she’s better.

iW: It was originally Eva’s idea to make the movie, but was she involvedin post-production?

Treut: No. I didn’t even give her the number of the editing room. Shewas furious, but I finally gave her a tape on the final day before Ileft New York. I knew it would take her weeks to be able to appreciateit. She had a hard time looking at it. She was in turmoil because it’slike looking into a mirror. Then it helped her, because she startedshowing it around to her friends and they all liked it very much. Thenin Berlin she was overjoyed. The Europeans were all over her and theyloved it, so she had a good time. It’s great, because she became thebest P.R. person. I think it’s changing her life for the better. She hassomething new to think about.

iW: Did you ever figure out who the real Eva Norvind is?

Treut: She is probably a kid. She doesn’t know herself. Since shedoesn’t know who she is she will continue pushing limits and pursuingdifferent things. I’m not surprised, just imagine if your mother pushedyou to be a sexual dancer at age 15. And you are the main bread winnerof the family. It’s kind of weird. At times she can be an exhibitionist.She is fearless and funny to watch. She can also ask all theinappropriate questions. She can be a pain.

iW: You started your career making fiction features. Are you happyworking in documentary?

Treut: At the moment I am. I find real life more interesting thanfiction. Because there is no more independent film. Everything is gonecorporate. Indie film is dead. I had one experience in Hollywood whichwas really devastating. The film, “Erotique” with Lizzie Borden andClaire Law. It was unbelievable. Every worst nightmare came true. It wasthe first time I had a decent budget and I had to suffer for it. So Isaid, “no more, goodbye.” Now I work on very small budgets and makedocumentaries. I’m going underground now, because I want to have fun andI want to be independent. There are all these ideas in my head and I askif I can do it documentary style. Then I just go, instead of waitingaround and talking.

iW: You are one of the only living German directors who consistentlyfinds international distribution. What was the German reaction to thisfilm?

Treut: We opened in Berlin right after the Berlin Film Festival. Thereaction was good. I’m still the “lesbo, underground director.” I’m anoutsider, but I have nice name recognition so I always get some money.It’s not the government money, but television money. Hamburg TV doessome risky stuff but they are being weary of this one. In Berlin there’sa lot of international distributor interest, but my producer is takingcare of that stuff.

iW: How did you get started as a director and a director of explicitlysexual films?

Treut: I didn’t go to film school. I started writing theory and byaccident became a director. I wrote my Ph.D thesis and it got publishedin Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It was about the Marquis de Sade.I’m intellectually interested in S&M. I had my phase of being into S&Mclubs and stuff, but it’s too much work. You have to schlep too manyclothes around. Now I schlep a camera around. I don’t want to beschlepping collars and leather and all this stuff around.

iW: What do you think of the New York Times calling you a, “GermanLesbian Feminist Filmmaker?”

Treut: I don’t care. It’s just stupid that they have to continue to usethese labels. For me as a European it’s a different story. For me beinggay is not such a big deal, especially not in Germany, Scandinavia orHolland. It’s a big deal in France in some ways, because people are not“out” there. I’ve always been out in Germany. In this country it’s sopolitical. Everyone knew Fassbinder was gay and nobody gave a shit. WithRosa Von Praunheim and Ulrika Ottinger, we are decadent queers. Insteadof being in the street marching up and down we are making our films.Once in a while we have a gay subject, but then we don’t.